The week that was in the always unpredictable life of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel:

Two up

1. Someone quick with a camera came up with this rather awkward photo of the Chick-fil-A Bowl mascot doing something the SEC's top defenders haven't been able to do for two years: Get two hands -- err, hooves -- on Johnny Football. Even then, it looks like he had to sneak up from behind. Apparently, the eyes in the back of Manziel's head were shut.

2. Talk about upping the ante: The Houston Chronicle's Jerome Solomon likens the spark Johnny Football could bring to the Houston Texans, presumably as the No. 1 overall pick, to the charisma that Broadway Joe Namath brought to the New York Jets. Solomon's column, boiled down to a sentence, suggests that the Texans are in desperate need of of some personality to go along with the talent void that has set the club up for the draft's top overall pick. Manziel has personality in spades. Perhaps too much of it, Solomon suggests, for the Texans' liking.

Two down

1. Always down to have a good time, Johnny Football
didn't disappoint earlier this week after the Aggies touched down in Atlanta to begin on-site preparations for the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Duke. With the regular season now in the books, Manziel's presence on social media has taken a decidedly upward turn in recent weeks. You can bet that whichever agency signs Manziel,
be it this one or another, one of the first pieces of advice will be for Johnny Football to return to the low profile he maintained during the football season.

2. Speaking of Manziel's increased social media presence, he marked his arrival in Atlanta with a thumbs up on Instagram for a former Atlanta Falcons star, quarterback Michael Vick:

Manziel's caption left no doubt he sees Vick's athleticism at the position as a model for what he'd like to deliver at the NFL level: "Just landed in Atlanta...gotta shout out to the greatest dual threat to ever do it #throwback"

Fun with kneel-downs

In a review of top Aggies plays from 2013, the folks at Texas A&M blog Good Bull Hunting offered up this clip of Manziel executing the end-of-game kneeldown play, Johnny Football style, against Mississippi State earlier this year. Win or lose, he is never, ever dull. But while this falls into the "fun" category in the college game, an NFL defensive line wouldn't be laughing. And its next encounter with Johnny Football would no doubt be circled in red on the schedule.

Going deep

Speaking of top Manziel plays, his 95-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans to pull the Aggies back into contention against Alabama on Sept. 14 ranked among USA Today's top five plays of the college season. It was the only play of the five that was part of a losing effort. For any NFL clubs concerned about Manziel's touch on the deep ball, it remains exhibit one:

Final word

Two college stars who definitely endured their share of controversy -- Manziel and former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu of the Arizona Cardinals, had a Christmas Day shout out for each other. And it looks like Mathieu signaled the Chick-fil-A Bowl as the end of Johnny Football's college career: